Transfiguration Question

[corinthum]

No: HPFGUIDX 59053

Mark wrote:

> <<Obviously it was enough of a dog to distract the dragon (for a
moment), but it didn't have the "mind of a rock".  It was very "dog
like".>>

And Brief Chronicles questioned:
 
> You've got a good point. When Cedric turns the rock into a dog, if
>we're all right that the essence of the original thing is what
governs >its actions, then the dog ought to just sit there... like a
rock.  :)  >Why doesn't it?


Now me: 

I'll modify my original thoery based on this.  When transfiguring from
low to high complexity, the original intelligence of the object is
maintained.  However, some qualities can be added based on the
"definition" of the new form.  Let me see if I can explain what I mean
by this.

If one wanted to conjure a dog (a temporary one, of course), or
tranfigure an object into a dog, I would think that person would need
to know ahead of time exactly what is meant by "dog".  In this case,
dog = small, furry, the look of a specific breed, can run, bark.  If
basic behaviors are included in the original spell, they are added to
the already persent intelligence of the object.  It would be more like
instinctive behavior.  Therefore, Cedric's rock-dog has the
intelligence of a rock (i.e. none) in a ddition to the qualities
inherent to a dog (ability to run, bark, probably some other basic
behaviors as well).  Therefore, as soon as the tranfiguration is
complete, the rock-dog began to randomly run around and bark (which is
all Cedric needed it to do in the first place, create a distaction).

I maintain my theory, supported by the "Quidditch through the Ages"
quote I cited earlier, that an the brain is indeed tranfigured.  So a
human tranfigured into almost anything is going to lose intelligence.
 But an animal or object tranfigured into a more intelligent form has
the potential to gain intelligence, if it is introduced to them
(either by the spell itself or by later learning).

-Corinth